Top Platforms to Buy VST Plugins

When it comes to serving music producers, beatmakers, and audio engineers the best and latest VST plugins, Plugin Boutique is at the top. This music plugin distributor has the most extensive marketplace for VSTs on the internet. Organized to perfection by the type of plugin you're looking to buy, regularly updated, and packed with exclusive deals. Plugin Boutique should be a go to website for any music producer. And Plugin Boutique is the manufacturer of one of the most essential audio plugins for any producer, Scaler 2. If you're shopping for music plugins, you should always start at Plugin Boutique.

Known more for its cloud-based subscription service for samples and loops, Splice is also a leader when it comes to audio plugin distribution. And one of the main reasons they near the top of our list is that they offer a rent-to-own buying model for some of the best, but also most expensive plugins for music producers. Take RC-20 Retro Color by XLN Audio or the Arturia V Collection 8. These essential plugins for beatmakers aren't cheap, and through Splice, they are FREE to try. And if you like them, you can pay a monthly fee until you pay enough eventually to own them. A great option for the budget conscious music producer.

The iconic music production brand, Native Instruments, is one that most music producers are familiar with. From their legendary hardware products like the Maschine or Komplete Kontrol keyboards to the excellent software they produce, Native Instruments products are in the home of many beatmakers globally. Whether it's their Komplete bundle or legendary synths like Massive X, Native Instruments is consistently at the cutting edge of music production software. If you don't have some of their audio plugins, you're definitely missing out.

When most think of Reason Studios, a DAW comes to mind. But that is where Reason truly differentiates itself. Reason is packed with some of the best instruments and effects, and you can use these all in any DAW of your choice or directly in Reason. Don't just take our word for it, in a recent interview legendary Dr. Dre, Drake, and Eminem super producer, DJ Khalil discussed how Reason Studios paired with Ableton is essential for his production and sound design. The best part is you can pay for Reason on a monthly basis starting at only $1. There's no reason not to have all these virtual instruments and effects in your arsenal.

Waves is another iconic virtual instrument brand that most producers and engineers have been supporting for years. Whether it's the iconic CLA-2A Compressor/Limiter or Vocal Rider and Bender, Waves have been a staple within the music industry. If you're shopping for music plugins, Waves is definitely a site that you need to be on.

Producer Spot is another audio plugin distributor you need to make note of. They host some of the industry must-have plugins like Auto-Tune, but also carry some amazing VSTs that are unique to their site. They even have some FREE plugins for you to download. An underrated website in the music production community, Producer Spot deserves your attention when it comes to buying VSTs.

W.A. Production delivers some of the best sample and loops, courses and plugins in the market. Their Vocal Processing plugin, Vocal Cleaner, is a must-have plugin for those working regularly with vocals, and they have many other quality VSTs that they have developed. KSHMR Essentials is personal favorite from the team at W.A. Production.

Cymatics has been killing it in the sample and loop game for years now. And although new to the plugin industry, they have already developed a bunch of fantastic and useful plugins that have generated a ton of buzz. From Drum Enhancers to Reverb plugins, they are passionate about delivering a quality product. Go ahead and give their FREE Origin - Vintage Plugin a try. Perfect for those dialing in that Lo-Fi sound.

A plugin brand that many are familiar with is Spectrasonics. Their Omnisphere, Trillian, and Keyscape plugins are all industry staples, but they come with a hefty price tag. That's why zZounds is on our list. They offer payment plans for these iconic plugins, making them affordable even for the new music producer that is on a budget.

Modern Producers is one of our top platforms to purchase sample packs, so is it really a surprise they're also on our top platforms to purchase VSTs list, too? It shouldn't be. Their collection of plugins continues to grow, but it's one that music producers and beatmakers need to be aware of.